Here's my two cents on Gale. I definitely think he's being on some level manipulative. There are just moments when his manner and approach feel... less than genuine. Moments when it feels like his interactions with us are especially considered and curated to get the reaction he wants. I also think that he's still holding something back about the whole Mystra/orb situation. I don't think he's lied about anything he's told us, but I think there's still some details that have yet to be revealed that maybe paint him in a less than charming light. That having been said, I still think he's ultimately trustworthy. I think that any manipulation he's engaging in is ultimately in service to dealing with the orb, an existential threat that could kill not just him but everyone for miles around. Which I think is fair and reasonable. The threat it poses is big enough that I'm not going to fault him for putting a bit of extra effort into ensuring he has help dealing with it.
So yeah that's my thought on Gale: Manipulative? A little bit, non-maliciously so.
but you haven't explain what is the active of gale absorbing the "shard of dark magic" .
gale claims this is "for love mystra", but why a potential big threat can be seen love??
I'm not sure I understand the lore well enough to really say. Gale explained that he wanted to return it to her, and that absorbing it was never his intent. From what he explained about how the shadow weave worked and what it was, that intent seems to check out. My understanding of it is that the fragment of shadow weave was basically normal weave 'stolen' from her and corrupted/altered, so Gale's intent was to return it to Mystra so she could change it back. I didn't think that the shadow weave itself was harmful to her so much as the way it was created and used harmed her. But my understanding is hardly complete, like I said.
As for your shadowheart point, maybe. But there's a difference between bending some doctrines in an awkward situation and abandoning the mission that your allies already died to complete with you.
Originally Posted by Wormerine
@Niara - personally I have little against behaviour and actions of Wyll and Gale in the content we have, but I don't trust their motivations in the long run.
They are both in a pickle and we are useful allies to them (and they are too us). But they haven't proven themselves as individuals with... good morals? I am rather fuzzy on Gale's backstory - I triggered it only once.
What I am not convinced about is if either of them would not sell us out of it benefited them. That's also why I see them (and Dhadowheart) as more compelling companions of the bunch, as I want to learn more of their character. But I wouldn't say I trust any of them. Not the way I trusted Minsc or Aerie. Or even evil characters as Edwin and the dwarf as they seemed to be reliably on my side as long as they get paid.
I think there's more chance of Wyll doing that than Gale honestly. In terms of backstory, we don't actually get a lot from him to infer about his moral reliability. At best we know that he made a very dumb decision because he was heartbroken. But I do think that Gale values us as a person. If he did sell us out it would be a 'needs of the many' situation, since we know what kind of a threat the orb poses if it detonates. Wyll meanwhile, far less reliable even than that.
